‘I did, did I?’ He looked down at the camera, face expressionless. ‘Where did you get this camera? Looks a lot like the one Gerald over there has lost,’ he said, gesturing towards the cameraman I’d borrowed it from who was talking frantically to the reception desk.

I swallowed, twisting a button on my coat between my fingers. ‘I plan to return it.’

That was the first time I saw Reg smile. ‘I’m tempted to say don’t bother; I’ve never liked the man. What do you want me to do with this then?’ he asked, gesturing to the camera.

‘I thought you might have some way of viewing it to see if what I’ve filmed is any good?’ I asked tentatively.

As I said that, I felt a presence behind me. Reg quietly slipped the camera into the bag at his feet and I turned to see my aunt smiling tightly.

‘Is this young lady bothering you, Mr Carlisle?’ she asked, flashing me a hard look.

‘Not at all,’ Reg retorted. ‘She saw me drop some money earlier and was kind enough to return it to me.’

My aunt relaxed. ‘Good, we ensure all our staff hold the highest of moral standards. Now come away, Gwyneth, let Mr Carlisle finish his lunch in peace.’

As she marched me off, I glanced over my shoulder at Reg who winked at me. I turned back, suppressing a smile.

I barely slept again that night, wondering if Reg had managed to watch the footage. When I walked downstairs, pulling at the stiff collar of my uniform, he was waiting for me in reception.

‘Come with me,’ he said.

I peered into the breakfast room. I was already running late.

‘Just five minutes,’ he said. ‘Come on.’

I took a deep breath and followed him towards the hotel’s small cinema. When we got in, the projector was all set up and on the screen was my footage.

‘Most of it is awful,’ he said as he gestured for me to sit down. ‘There’s nothing here we don’t know already about pigeons. The composition is terrible, not to mention the lack of focus.’ My heart sank. ‘Except this,’ he added with a smile as he leant forward to stare at the screen. ‘Now this, this is exquisite.’

I followed his gaze, seeing the brief footage I’d filmed of a large pigeon feeding three tiny baby pigeons.

‘We rarely see baby pigeons, as they remain in their nests until they are fully grown,’ he explained, ‘and many nests are so high, we humans don’t get the chance to see them. A sign of the bird’s devotion to its young.’

‘So it’s good I got a shot of them?’

‘Very good. I need an assistant. When can you start?’

I looked at him in surprise. ‘You want me as an assistant?’